gna

The black one in back is a Kato RS-2, with a Front Range GP9 shell. It will be Rock Island 454.
The one in front is a Proto 1000 RS-2, with a Proto 2000 GP9 ph3 shell spliced to it. It will be Frisco 554.

Can't find a good picture of 554, so 553 will substitute.

It's a pretty easy bash. My wife took one look at my handiwork and said, "I'm sure its mother loved it."

redneckwes

Threads like this are proof to me that I made my home in the right place here in the BF universe. You are a great and interesting bunch of people to hang around with

I grew up in a family of history nuts, and unstoppable flea marketers and scroungers. Since I can remember, the objects of ordinary life of past eras have fascinated me. Past the words and deeds of famous people to the plain sometimes almost mundane things and events that surrounded regular life.

Picking up a Type 9, number 5 Bailey Jack plane made in 1903 and working down a board with it, thats as much a window into the past as a ride on my Bottechia is. Working the kinks out of a Walker Turner drill press or Atlas bandsaw is not too far off from fettling with the 45 year old Campagnolo gear on my Gran Sport. Two years ago it was Rotary phones, Bell 500's and 504's ect and a Columbia three speed. Next year it might be 60's Stereo gear. I can go camping in a canvas tent and cook my food on a Coleman 426D three burner camp stove from the 50's and read by a 228E lantern. I can go fishing with a Airex spinning reel or a first generation Zebco 33 from 1953. I've worked a field down on a 1951 Farmall H pulling the disc it would have came with new.

Bicycles for me were just a way to drop a few pounds, until they started weaving their way into the rest of my OCD afflicted life. Now it's just another facet of my personal quest to see History in a conceivable context.

I'd love to see one of Top's WW2 reenactments in person. The best way, the only real way to instill a love for the past in someone is to make it live and real for them.

ottothecow

Alright...I suppose I have a bunch of hobbies/comments

I also ski...or used to. I through raced in high school and spent a lot of spring breaks in the mountains but the past 4 years in chicago have killed most of that other than when I go home.

Seeing all the gun posts reminds me that despite really not being a "gun person" I wouldn't mind owning a vintage rifle...something with a smaller bore, probably bolt action and saw service before 1946.

I'm pretty in to computers I suppose. I make pretty frequent (not always daily) use of 3 different systems at home--windows, linux, osx and do some occasional PC gaming. No real programming now that I am done with school (no projects to work on...not motivated to come up with my own).
I play guitar too...

Bianchigirll 

Otto I hope you have deep pockets. you think vintage bikes in good shape are expensive. a good firearm from that era can be really pricy unless you get a good deal on MIl surplus and even those are not cheap anymore.

Old Town

I'm stunned (in a good way) to see so many people who like and own firearms on a bike forum. This I did not expect. Earlier poster had great photos of Garands, grenade launcher and all. My kind of guy. My father was a WW2 Navy man and he brought all kinds of surplus (probably pinched) guns home. My favorite military rifle today is a Swedish Krag bolt gun in 6.5mm. I reload for this round. Mild recoil and it hits 10" balloons floating on the water out beyond any reasonable range. Amazing gun.

dedhed

1.Oct is grouse, nov deer, rest is ice fishing and sporting clays - Browning 425 clays-Beretta 391, Remington 700 SS

2.Back in the climbing gym - This is the first year I won't be traipsing around the country for SCS and ABS comps. The youngest decided gymnastics was her comp thing although she may do ABS

3. Go through my commuter bikes and clean and rebuild bearings etc

4. Building a small road bike for my 10 YO

5. XC skiing if the conditions are good. I can step out my back door and have a 3 mile loop I make in the county land I abut.

6. Still commute occasionally if the weather and road conditions allow.

7. Winter is baking season - nothing like the smell of homemade bread in a warm kitchen.

Of course if winter is anything like the last couple I'll mostly be plowing and shoveling!

jfmckenna

I thought I'd get into collecting vintage firearms but I just never got into it. I may pick it up again some day. This is my '54 Enfield fresh out of the Cosmoline wrap. I learned it was worth a lot more then I got it for so it will remain unfired. Plus 303 ammo is very expensive.



What makes this particular one interesting and more collectible is that it was made in Fazakerley england for the IRA believe it or not. The British government closed off the deal before they were shipped so they were all packed away and stored in crates for decades. A lot of them made it over to the states.

20grit

Seems like Otto would be very interested in one of the old trainer rifles used by the military. Mossberg and a few others made them. all .22 lrs. they're actually fun little guns.

I have an old single shot Marlin Model 100 that I absolutely love. It's a cheap gun, but it's a machine. I keep hoping to find another one that i can modify with peep and globe sights. It gets kind of difficult shooting much past 100 yards with the standard open sights that came on it.

The rest of the collection:

Winchester Model 70 .264 Win Mag (quite possibly the greatest caliber ever)
Browning BAR Safari Grade 7mm Mag
Belgium made Browning BAR 243
Belgium manufactured Portugal assembled Browning BAR .270
Various muzzle loaders
Smith and Wesson 586 .357 mag w/ 6" barrel
Magnum Research Baby Eagle semi compact in .40 s&w

those get most of the use. there are a few others around i lay claim to but don't shoot as often.

Bianchigirll 

nice firearm. I love the 'blonde' wood

WMD

Might as well join in. Other hobbies are:

Motorcycles-since 1970. Current ride is 2000 Honda VFR
Shooting: mainly handguns. Ruger MkIII, S&W 1911, S&W M&P9, S&W 686 SSR, Walther PPK
Woodworking-combined with shooting and made a set of grips for my Ruger
Golf-I'm a hacker but most of us are
Car nut-2006 Corvette




I did the checkering on the grips. Quite a challenge to get them decent. Fairly happy with the results.

macwild

I also like to homebrew. Never tried and oatmeal stout, that may be my next batch. I'm actually gonna try to ride all year. If folks in Minnesota can, I figure here is south central Kansas, I shouldn't have a problem.
I'll also start playing my guitar more, finish repairing our barn and whatever else the wife tells me to do!

Old Town

I would trade my first born for that Enfield.

Zaphod Beeblebrox 

This thread should serve as a warning to would-be bike theives.

Careful who's bike you take....you've got a really good chance that the owner has a gun.

Bam42685

I'm very surprised to see so many people enjoy shooting. Very few of my friends have any interest in it, except for my cycling buddy. Coincidence or correlation?

markk900

We have an old Rogers Majestic with AM and Shortwave - interesting in these internet connected times the number of international radio stations still broadcasting on SW - fun to listen to, and the hunt for old tubes is almost as fun as the hunt for the right gear lever or saddle....

Mark

T-Mar

Many bicycle companies started out as small arms manufacturers. What do you do with a bunch of rifle barrels during peacetime? You fabricate them into bicycle frames. This was certainly case in the very late 1800s when bicycles were all the rage. That may be lost now, but I wouldn't be suprised if there was some deep rooted psychological connection between gun barrels and frame tubes.

cb400bill

So we should call the cheap frames "Rifle Barrels" instead of "Gas Pipes"?

Grand Bois

That's a stretch!

bleukahuna

Shotgun barrels are basically butted tubes, and gas pipes!

Old Town

Before finding this thread I was guilty of lumping most cyclists in the crunchy-granola, Earth First, tree-hugging lot who usually loath guns and hunting (even fishing). I can see that I was very wrong. Someone earlier mentioned the fine machine product aspect of guns. That is a large part of the appeal to me.

USAZorro

Seems like I'm Mr. Boring.

I'll say up front that there's zero chance ATF agents will have a reason to set foot in our house.

I used to referee soccer, and played indoor. The over 40 leagues were fun, and being able to occasionally surprise some of the former pros who played in the league made it seem worthwhile. Our team pretty much imploded about 5 years back, and I might start again if there were an O-50 league. Just checked, there's none locally.

I've been pretty much stuck on bicycles. It's hard to garden here in the winter. Camping and hiking run into the same challenges as cycling. I'm happy with my lifelong record of no broken bones, so skiing is out of the question. Guess I tend to spend too much time on the computer and doing sudoku and crosswords when I'm not listening to music and working on bikes. Mrs Z loves to travel, so we'll be doing a bit more of that hopefully (since the younger is now 18).

Like I said...

HamboneSlim

More Pennsylvania flyfishing goodness.


Old Spanish double: crude engraving, but light and balanced and patterns perfectly. Ruger Super Single Six .22 hunting & fishing sidearm.


Good old Rusty. Awesome pheasant & grouse dog, relentless pursuer of nuisance geese, the death of countless groundhogs, and a swell pal and fishin buddy. Never forgotten.


**-made tele with 3 pups, pigsby twangbar, seal club neck.

jfmckenna

Hahah, well if your first born is beautiful tall blonde blue eyed about 35 years old and not taken then maybe we can work out a deal just kidding.

I wanted a vintage firearm to shoot as well but I understand she would loose some collectibility if I do. So she just stays in a case for now. I keep thinking about selling or trading but every time I open the case and break it down and admire the craftsmanship I can't seem to part.

Oh yes I just remembered I've recently taken up sailing too. Got a 14' Laser, fun boat. But not exactally a winter time thing unless I shell out about 1K for a nice dry suit.

soonerbills

My hobbies have evolved over the years. When I was younger and lived in NY I was into drag racing(any one remember Dover drags in Wingdale?)
I did a fair share of motorcycle racing mainly enduro and trials. After my move to OK and the birth of my kids I mostly was a leisure rider...For years my wife and I were involved in gymnastics as our youngest son is a prodigy of sorts and now is a member of the OU team. we're pretty proud of him!
https://www.soonersports.com/sports/m...g_david00.html
(his story) https://www.stickitmedia.com/stickitm...stics-journey/

Now mainly I work and play with my bicycles...hunt a little with my Ruger .44 auto carbine....and hang with my wife..
I've always had a thing for vintage stereo stuff and have a few old Graflex cameras I play with.

Oh and baseball cards...I have collected those for years..My son's and me have a pretty big stash

My wife says that the bikes are it...no more new hobbies

David Newton

Ok, I get it, it's a picture thread.
I build guitars, and rebuilt an old motorcycle.